WASHINGTON, D.C. – Wednesday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Vehicle Axle Redistribution Increases Allow New Capacities for Efficiency (VARIANCE) Act. The bill would improve regulations for American truckers by permitting a 10% axle variance for commercial motor vehicles transporting dry bulk goods. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) is a co-lead of this legislation in the Senate. Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) are leading companion legislation in the House.
“This is common-sense policymaking,” said Ricketts. “Allowing flexibility for truckers with naturally shifting goods will help improve efficiency and safety in Nebraska’s agriculture industry. American truckers want to carry the same sized load in loose dry bulk that they can for any other freight. This bill is a win for every step along the supply chain.”
“Providing commonsense flexibility to our transportation and agriculture sectors will ensure California consumers don’t face higher costs due to regulations that don’t acknowledge the realities of basic physics,” said Schiff. ”The VARIANCE Act is a bipartisan and bicameral solution that will improve our supply chain, reduce congestion, and help California farmers and producers continue to feed the nation and the world.”
The Variance Act would:
- Grant a 10% axle variance for commercial motor vehicles transporting dry bulk goods and increase the maximum weight on any tandem-axle trailer to 37,400 lbs.
- Leave the maximum laden vehicle weight untouched at 80,000 lbs.
The text of the bill is available here.
